1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of ski carrier apparatus and is directed more particularly to an improved ski carrier device adapted to hold multiple pairs of skis.
2. The Prior Art
As an adjunct to the increasing popularity of the sport of skiing, various devices have been constructed to enable skis to be conveniently secured to automobiles for facile and safe transportation.
While such devices have taken various forms, all of them generally include two frame mechanisms adapted to be secured in spaced relation to the roof or the trunk of an automobile. The devices generally include a support surface on the frame and a pair of pivotal hold-down arms. Skis are disposed on the support surfaces of the spaced frames while the hold-down arms are pivoted upwardly to provide clearance. After the skis are positioned, the hold-down arms are shifted downwardly to a carrying position in proximate spaced relation to the frame members whereby the skis are clamped between the frame and the arms.
Typically a locking mechanism is provided whereby the arms are locked in their carrying position so that if the car is left unattended with the skis attached, the same may not be removed. Generally, the means for mounting the frame to the car are covered when the hold-down arms are in locked position whereby the frames cannot be bodily removed from the car except by a person in possession of a key.
It will be readily recognized from the foregoing description that the conventional ski rack has a relatively limited ski carrying capacity.
With the recent increase in cross country skiing, it frequently occurs that skiers will wish to transport both cross country skis and skis suitable for downhill skiing. Thus, in a car transporting five or six skiers it may be necessary to carry ten or twelve pairs of skis, and no known ski rack has such capacity.